Portable tiltable top table



Aug. 3T, T954 Filed May 29, 1953 A. C. HOKANSON PORTABLE TILTABLEI TOP TABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 31, 1954 A. c. HoKANsoN 67,932

PORTABLE TILTABLE TOP TABLE Filed May 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 31, 1954 OFFICE -PORTABLE TILTABLE TOP TABLE Arthur C. .Hokansom Cassopolis, Mich.

Application May 29, 1953, Serial No. 358,319

4 Claims.

an adjustable table which may be easily set and l securely locked in a variety of different angular positions to support a typewriter or a sewing machine or to provide inclined Working or drawing surface.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a portable bed table having a working surface supported by legs .at dierent angles to a:

person in a sitting or reclining position with the l.legs disposed beyond the sides of the person.

A further object of the invention is to provide a light portable bed table having two connected legs at each side upon which the working surface is angularly adjustable with respect to a person between the legs and below the table in a sitting or reclining position with the working surface adjustable at various `angles with respect to the person.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specication and will be apparent from the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. l. is a side elevation of a bed table in accorda-nce with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the table shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a front View of the table.

Fig. 4 is a part sectional view of the table as taken on the lines i-f of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the loci-:ing mechanism taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an inner enlarged View of one of the clamps as shown in Fig. 4.

This table provides a substantial support particularly for those in a sitting or reclining position and is particularly designed and intended for abcd-fast or a sick person conned to a bed. It provides supports entirely free from contact beyond the sides of the person with a working surface above and free from Contact with the body of a person so that a typewriter, a portable sewing machine, drawing instruments, books, sewing, and the like may be readily supported thereon at different inclinations depending upon the nature of the work or activity.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a table top in may be made of wood, metal, ber, or any suitable material and preferably it is provided at one edge with a fixed strip I2 which forms a ledge for retaining material on the table. The height of the strip on the table may be changed by adjusting the screws.

.At the under side of the table at each end is an outer strip i4 xed to the table top by fastening screws EE inserted through the top into the strip and adjacent thereto is a movable strip I8 of similar size and shape.

In the adjacent faces of each pair of strips I l and I8 are corresponding curved grooves 20, 22 and 24 which extend at different locations in the faces for the purpose of seating a curved bar 26 at diierent locations therein. These strips are secured together by any suitable means binding the bar 2G in the grooves such, for example, as a headed bolt 28 inserted through a hole 30 in the strip l with the head of the bolt against the exposed side of the strip, and the bolt being of sufiieienil length to extend through a hole 32 in the outer strip and beyond the outer face of the strip where the threaded end of the bolt is engaged by a threaded knob 34, A washer 36 .surrounding the bolt is interposed between the inner end of the knob and the adjacent face of the strip i4 to avoid abrasion of the strip.

The curved portion of the bar 26 extends for approximately half a circle and this curved portion iits any one of the grooves 20, 22 and 214 so that by loosening the knobs 34 at the ends, the table may be supported in any one of the pairs of grooves, thus varying the inclination of the table top with respect to the bars. The grooves are located in successive arcs starting at one side of the fastening bolt 28 and terminating at different distances on the other side of the fastening bolt 2S so that different inclinations of the table top are obtained with respect to a person without changing the setting of the bars.

The ends of each bar 26 are preferably bent outwardly to form rigid supporting legs 38 and the ends of the legs are equipped with rubber bumpers @t to form a protection for the sharp extremities of the bars 2t which are preferably made of a light metal such as aluminum. |'I'urning the ends of the legs outwardly tends to provide a more firm support for the table and equipping the ends with rubber-like bumpers holds the table more firmly in place on bed clothes and other supporting surfaces.

With this construction, a light-weight portable table is provided which may be set up in a bed and the table top adjusted at various angles to accommodate the position of a person, and also to vary the position depending upon the work to be performed upon the table. By loosening the fastening knobs 34, the table may be slid along the bars 26 on any one of the sets of grooves and it may be easily adjusted from one groove to the other to vary the inclination of the table top and the setting with respect to the user. In any adjusted position, the table is easily locked by tightening the knobs 34 upon their fastening bolts, thus rmly clamping the table top in place.

The parts of this table are easily disconnected so that they may be compactly stored away or packed in a parcel for shipment or storage. The parts may be easily set up and adjusted in various positions by anyone without the use of tools or any special equipment.

While a preferred construction has been described in some detail, it should be regarded by way of illustration and example rather than as a restriction or limitation thereof, as many changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a portable table comprising a table top having a fixed and a movable supporting strip at each end, a curved bar for each pair of strips having legs at the ends, the supporting strips.

each having a plurality of curved grooves engaged by the curved bars, and fastening means for clamping the two strips at each end together with the curved portion of the bar between them the grooves extending from various distances at one side of the fastening means to other distances at the other side of the fastening means of each of said strips.

2. In a portable bed table, a table top having a pair of supporting strips at each end, one strip being attached to the table top, the other strip being free from attachment to the table top, a plurality of curved grooves in the matching faces of each pair of said strips, a fastening bolt extending through each pair of strips adjacent the end, a fastening knob threaded on the end of the bolt at the exposed side of the outer strip, a bar having feet at the end, and an intermediate portion adapted to have sliding engagement with each of the grooves so that the strips may be attached to the bars in different positions and at different inclinations thereon.

3. A portable bed table in accordance with claim 2 in which the grooves in the strips are circular, and a portion of the bar between the legs is in a circular arc to t the grooves, the legs being inclined outwardly at the ends of the curved portion to support the table firmly in place.

4. In a portable bed table, a table top having a pair of supporting strips at each end, one strip attached to the table and the other strip being similar to but disconnected from the table top, the two strips at each end having a plurality of matching circular grooves of similar curvature, the arcs of the grooves extending from the end and edges at one side of the center of the strip to the edge and end at the other side of the center of the strip respectively, a pair of legs for each end of the table comprising a supporting bar having an intermediate circular portion to t the arcs of the grooves and supporting legs at the ends of the circular portion, a fastening bolt extending through the disconnected strip of each pair and having a threaded extremity extending through the attached strip of the pair, and a fastening knob threaded on the exposed end of the bolt at the outer side edge of the table so that the table may be adjusted in position with the bars in any of the corresponding pairs of grooves and at different inclinations by changing the bars to different grooves between the said end strips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 525,979 Fitzgerald Sept. 11, 1894 1,184,594 Von Nagy May 23, 1916 2,531,762 Allan Nov. 28, 1950 

